The Future is now
by Capslock
Summary: (Rated Just in case for violence) After a Looooooooooong recess, im back! but slower than ever im afraid. A story about Kurt and Kitty
1. Coke Machine

1 Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from X Men Evolution. So there.  
  
  
  
"Why did you drag me into this?" Kurt complained as he followed Kitty down the stairs to the cluttered basement storage area below.  
  
"C'mon it'll be fun Kurt! Who knows what kind of stuff we'll find down here." Kitty answered  
  
"Hopefully no more of Forge's little gadgets." Kurt muttered. "What are we looking for anyway?"  
  
"Professors stamp collection, it'll be like, so totally cool if we find it! I'm sure he's got lots of cool old stamps!" Kitty said as she started rummaging through boxes. The two young mutants rummaged and rummaged but didn't find the stamp collection, they did find several other interesting thing however, like a box of African masks, some cute little babies clothes, and an Eiffel Tower made completely out of glued together toothpicks. Kurt moved a pile of dusty moth eaten blankets and saw something strange behind it. It looked like a coke machine, but it was all metal with no markings on the front or the buttons exept for something imprinted on the front near the top. Kurt reached up and wiped the dust away to reveal a small emblem, a W with a lighting bolt through it.  
  
"Hey Kitty come over here, I found something weird." He called  
  
"You mean something weirder than that hippie hippo music box I just found?" she asked as she came over. "Woa, that is totally weird! Maybe its some old vending machine, you got a quarter?"  
  
"Ja, I wonder if it still works." Kurt said as he put the quarter in the machine and pushed a random button. At first nothing happened, then the machine started to vibrate and electrical bolts could be seen flashing on the inside. Kurt and Kitty stepped back, then Kitty noticed something. "Uh, Kurt? It's not plugged in!" she pointed to the plug, which was laying unused on the floor. Kurt looked at it and back at the machine which was shaking and flashing even more, his face full of alarm. He said "Lets get outta here befo-" He was cut off when a huge flash of light came from the flap at the bottom of the machine, where if it was a regular machine, the coke would come out. The light engulfed them and a swirling vortex sucked them in. Lights flashed all around, everything was spinning, in the pandemonium Kurt and Kitty grabbed eachother's hands, both were screaming. As fast as it had come, the swirling lights and spinning stopped, but Kurt and Kitty were not where they started.  
  
They let go of eachother and stared around at their surroundings. They were no longer in the Mansion's basement, they were in the remains of a basement. There was charred rubble all around, the entire place looked like it had been hit by a fire immediately succeeded by a demolition crew. Kurt morphed them out of the hole that used to be the basement onto the ground level.  
  
"Wh-Where are we?" Kitty said quietly, her voice high with fright.  
  
"I don't know." Kurt answered. "Look over there!" he pointed with one fuzzy blue finger at a distorted metal chunk on the ground. It was warped and melted, but it was clear what it used to be: One of the professor's wheelchair wheels.  
  
"Oh my god" Kitty said in shock as she held up the misshapen metal "X". Kurt grabbed her arm and she jumped and dropped the thing. Kurt whispered, "Shhhh! Whats that over there look!" They looked, coming towards them through the wreckage was something unseen, but they could see the movement of the ashes stirred up by it's feet, like a freak wind moving low over the ground. Suddenly there was a man standing there, brown hair, black trenchcoat, black clothes, scarred face, blind eye. Then they also heard the noises pursuing him, men's voices, angry voices, coming quickly nearer. Three big men charged into sight, all carrying clubs, all with harmful intentions. The scar faced man turned and watched them run towards him, his face not showing even the faintest hint of expression. Kitty and Kurt gasped in horror as the three men closed in on the fourth, their clubs raised, but when the agressors were only feet away, three clear gunshots were heard from behind the men, and all three fell instantly, bullet holes drilled in their backs. The scar faced man nodded to his rescuer, and Kurt and Kitty gasped again when they saw who it was. A shapely woman holstered her handgun, she wore sexy black leather clothes, had short dark hair with two white streaks in front. It was 25 year old Rouge, with a gun, and a new attitude. 


	2. Twisted Cyclops

Rouge went up to the scar faced man and said, "Deadshot, shoot your enemies yourself next time! I don't like using up my ammo." Deadshot isn't paying attention to her, he turns his half-gaze towards Kurt and Kitty, Rouge turns to see what he's looking at and her jaw drops in surprise. She says, "Kurt? Kitty? Is it really you?" Kurt answers, "Ja! Of course it's us…Rouge? What's going on?" Rouge said in wonderment and suspicion, "But how? You two disappeared ten years ago!"  
  
"What?!" Kitty exclaimed, "Ok this is getting like, so totally freaky!" Deadshot's quiet, cold, flat voice cut into their conversation, " This is all very interesting, however, I suggest we leave quickly, more will come" he motions to the three dead men. Right on cue, a black van with tinted windows zooms towards them and screeches to a stop beside them. The driver's side window rolls down revealing a Hispanic young man with a muscular build, loosely slicked back black hair with a white stripe running down it, like a skunk's. He says with a Spanish accent, "Hurry up comrades, there's a whole mob of angry guys comein' and they're out for inhuman blood!"  
  
"Come with us you two." Rouge ordered as she opened the sliding door to the van and got in, followed by Deadshot. Kitty and Kurt looked at each other and climbed in also.  
  
Once they were all safely within the van's spacious interior and zooming down the road, Rouge turned to Kitty and demanded, "Ok, what's this all about?" Kitty sighed and proceeded to explain all she could understand about what had happened to her and Kurt. When she had finally finished Deadshot stated, "A time machine. It is possible."  
  
"Ah guess we have to believe it. You two sure did miss a lot." Rouge said. Kurt exclaimed, starting to get hysterical, "Ja! No kidding! What has it been you said? Ten years?! What happened to the Institute? Where's the professor?! What happened?! Ich will Meinen Gott seines alle verrückte jetzt gleich wissen!" The driver answered, "¡Córtelo con el amigo alemán! ¡Calme! Calm down man! I'm trying to drive here, Rouge'll give you a summary right Rouge?"  
  
"Ahll right Stinky, Ah'll tell them, you two aren't going to like this." Rouge sighed and took a deep breath, "After you two disappeared ten years ago, something went terribly wrong. The government went completely anit- mutant somehow, and started, and still is, changing from democracy to totalitarianism(for those of you that aren't coners, it's just basically bad.) The wrong people got in power, it was lahke a holocaust, it still is. Somehow they found us out, the professor was killed, along with most of the new mutants, and the Manor was destroyed. They ahlso found the brotherhood, Magneto was killed, an' Lance an' Todd an' even Wanda. Ah don't know what happened to Pietro or Mistique. As for the rest of us, some of us took different views, snapped into reality, Scott especially. But some kept the professors old foolish views and broke off and formed a new team, now all they do is get in our way and try to make peace with the humans!" she laughs bitterly at this. Kurt and Kitty's eyes are as wide as they can go, and their mouths are hanging open with shock, their faces pale. Rouge continued, "But Scott saw the truth: That mutants will never be accepted, it's either us or them and we choose us! He formed a new group, called the New Mutanthood, our group." Stinky cut in, "And here's our base!" They had pulled up to a large, impending building. Rouge guided the still dazed Kurt and Kitty out the van and up the front steps. Deadshot brushed past them and opened the large double doors and strode into the high-ceilinged great room within. He walked briskly over to the metal high backed chair at the far side of the large room, and bent over to whisper in the ear of it's occupant, while Rouge pushed Kurt and Kitty through the doors, and closed the doors behind her. Kurt and Kitty gazed around in wonderment and fear, everything in this future was so strange and sinister. The professor dead, and so many others, the manor gone, the government in a stage of chaos! Kitty was still too stunned to cry for the loss, and Kurt was too scared (I would be too.) A loud "WHAT?" was heard from the chair across the room, and it turned around to show who was sitting in it. It was Scott, ten years older, dressed all in black leather armor, iron spikes, chains, the whole evil guy attire. His face was changed too. Gone was all the caring responsibility, the understanding and friendliness. All there was left was a merciless, unkind, spiteful face with a cruel glint in his eye. 


	3. Falling

Thanks to youse who reviewed! Its what keeps me going. Oh and I forgot to mention, Scott DOES have a visor, It just totally slipped my mind, Brain fart! Thanks for pointing that out InterNutter! I guess the "cruel glint in his eye" cant be seen, but it's still there. Oh and I also forgot to mention Kurt's watch is on this whole time  
  
  
  
"Scott? What happened to you?" Kitty asked. Scott's face instantly fell to anger and he said in a menacing tone, " You may not call me by that name. Scott was a weak fool who was killed (not literally) with his old naïve views. Now I am Cyclops, and I am powerful." Kitty burst into tears, Kurt tried to comfort her by putting a hand on her shoulder and said to Cyclops, "Sc-errrr…Cyclops, what happened to you? You've gone all….bad! The Prof-"  
  
"SILENCE!" Cyclops cut him off, staring at them with cold contempt, "I can see you two are still weak and stupid, no use to me. GO! And don't come back until you've seen what the real world is like." He waved his hand at them in dismission, then turned around again. Kurt was about to say something more but Rouge grabbed his wrist and gave him a "He's serious, don't push him" look. She pulled them outside and said, "Ah'll drive you to the other side of town. If he catches you trespassing you're better off dead." Kitty was about to say something through her sobs but Rouge cut her off, "Scott's soul has been twisted by the deaths, especially Professor's. So has mahn. This world isn't what it used to be, it's dark and cruel."  
  
  
  
* At the other side of the town, which has expanded and grown greatly*  
  
Kurt and Kitty watched Rouge drive away, both were crying silently now, hugging eachother for comfort. Rouge had warned them to be carefull and not reveal themselves, or they'd be lynched or worse. Suddenly Kitty took off running, away from the town into a strip of woods, Kurt ran after her, "Kitty wait!" The woods thinned out and led to the dusty cliff edge overhanging Bayville Canyon, which was at least one hundred feet deep. (I know I know there isn't one, but there is here) Kitty sat down near the edge, crying and crying for all the loss. Kurt stood a ways back, and the fur under his eyes became even wetter. After minutes of purging some of their shock and grief, the flood of tears ceased. Kitty stood up, brushed her self off, dried her eyes with her shirt, and tried to compose herself. She turned around, "Kurt! Your watch is off!" For whatever reason Kurts watch had shorted out and he hadn't noticed in his wave of sorrow. Just as he was about to try and fix it three men in police uniforms and helmets jumped out of the bushes and threw a weighted net around him. Kitty screamed. A fourth officer and an old lady in a running outfit also came out, the officer said, "Is that it Ma'am?"  
  
"Yes it is officer, The very one, heavens I say I was just running along and I saw that demon standing there and…" The old lady continued to prattle. Kurt ported, or attempted to. There was something in the net that prevented him from using his powers, he struggled and kicked desperately, but to no avail.  
  
"Lets take 'im away, I'm sure we can get a good price for this freak." Said one of the men grabbing the net. "and if not we can always have some fun with him."  
  
"NO!" Kitty screamed as she rushed towards them. One man tried to get in her way but she unthinkingly phased through him, trying to help Kurt. But the net had the same effect with her power as it did Kurt's, she couldn't reach through the net with her powers.  
  
"They're both Muties!" the officer whom kitty had phased through exclaimed.  
  
"Get her!" another said, right before kitty drove her knee into his groin. He doubled over, making strange high pitched noises.  
  
Kitty grabbed one edge of the net and pulled, right before the fourth man ran full force into her side. She flew through the air, and instead of hitting the ground, she kept falling. She saw the top of the cliff moving away from her rapidly, she turned in the air, she saw the bottom of Bayville Canyon rushing at her. "I'm going to die." she said the thoughts rushing through her head, as fast as she was rushing through the air "In this time that isn't mine. I hope Kurt escapes. I wish Lance was alive. Maybe Cyclops was right. I'm going to die." She watched helplessly as the ground hurried to meet her, then suddenly something warm and slimy wrapped around her wrist and yanked her towards the cliff. She hit hard, horizontal rock, and everything went black.  
  
"Where am I? What happened?" she thought, she opened her eyes slowly, and everything was blurred, including the face above her.  
  
"You ok?" said the face. Everything came into focus. The face had strange yellowgreen eyes, was in his 20's, wasn't strikingly handsome but not ugly, was topped by an unruly mop of green hair, and was familiar somehow. She sat up, rubbing her head and the face retreated. She found herself in a sort of alcove in the cliff that went back into the rock, and her company was a man dressed scruffily dressed man, who gazed at her curiously with inhuman eyes from his crouching position some feet away. She recognized those eyes, and she recognized that posture.  
  
"Toad?" she questioned in disbelief.  
  
"Kitty?" he questioned in disbelief.  
  
"But you're dead!"  
  
"You disappeared ten years ago!"  
  
"You look a lot different."  
  
"You look the same."  
  
(Toad is basically the Toad from X Men the Movie)  
  
"How?…." they both said simultaneously. Toad broke the flustered confusing conversation and said, "We'll figure this out later, until then follow me." Without answering he opened a door in the back of the rock that no one could have noticed unless they knew it was there. She hesitated, and followed. The door led to a hall, which in turn led to a nice little living room, in which stood someone she recognized right away. He was older, and taller, true, but he still had that long black hair, handsome face, and fiery eyes. Lance. 


	4. X Defenders

Patience, I will bring more characters in, in time. What I really need is some other girl characters other than Tabby, Wanda and Jean. Suggestions?  
  
  
  
Kurt watched in utter horror as Kitty disappeared over the edge. "NO!" he screamed, and with a burst of adrenaline he forcefully burst through the gap between the net and the ground that Kitty had created. As soon as he was out of the net's clutches he ported to the edge of the cliff and looked down. All he could see was the canyon's bottom, so far away. He heard shouting behind him, but the rushing sound in his ears drowned it out. What did come through to his stunned mind was a click from behind him, and he ducked just in time to see a bullet wiz through the space his head had so recently occupied. He turned around to see all four men advancing on him, two with their guns drawn, and two with clubs in their hands. Just as he was about to port or fight, two motorcycles roared out of the strip of woods behind the men and their weapons were pulled from their hands. On one motorcycle sat a orange and black clad guy, with claws popped out of his knuckles, and on the other sat a red headed woman who looked like she was wearing some kind of wetsuit.  
  
"Jean! Logan!" Kurt yelled. All the trauma and stress suddenly took its toll on Kurt, and he felt himself sinking to the ground, and everything faded into black.  
  
He woke up and rubbed his bleary eyes, his mind was a bit bleary too. He was in a nice bed in what looked like a medical room. The still familiar Jean came in and smiled, " Well, Kurt, you certainly have some explaining to do! How are you feeling?"  
  
"Just fine thanks." Then it all came rushing back, "KITTY! Oh Kitty-"  
  
"What do you mean Kitty?" Jean said, startled at this outburst.  
  
"She fell off the edge! What if what if…" Kurt was starting to get histerical. Jean made him slow down and explain the whole thing.  
  
"Oh dear." She said when he had finished, "I'll get someone to search for her right away! You stay here and rest." But Jean's voice held no hope of finding Kitty alive. As soon as she had left Kurt sprang up from the bed. He couldn't just lie there while the only other person from the past could be dead, or dying. Just as he was about to leave Storm came in. She was her age showed; lines of age and hardship were showing on her face, but her eyes, and voice were the same.  
  
"Kurt," she said, "There's nothing you can do to help with the search." She didn't mention that she thought that Kitty couldn't have possible survived the fall. "What you really need to do is explain how you got here, and where you were all these years."  
  
Kurt sighed and sat down, his heart wanting to go to the cliff to find his friend, his mind saying to stay here and be sensible. He reluctantly listened to his mind, and recounted the story of how he and Kitty had found the strange machine in the basement, and all that had happened after that. Storm listened without interruption, and when his incredible story was over, she sat back and sunk into deep thought. Jean came in and handed a glass of liquid to Kurt, "Drink this, it will help you relax." Kurt drank the stuff and instantly felt tired. He feebly fought to urge to sleep, but it was no use, he quickly sank into deep, dreamless slumber.  
  
When he awoke he was alone. He got up, and he felt a mental pull to come downstairs. He walked through the big place guided by Jean downstairs and into a room with a big table and a bunch of people seated around it. He recognized Jean, Storm, Spike, Hank, Bobby, Tabitha, and at the head of the table, Logan. He sat down in the empty chair, looking around at all of them, and they looked back at this relic from the past. Tabitha leaned over to Spike and whispered, "Jean wasn't kidding, he looks exactly the same, so young!" Logan cleared his throat, "We looked for Kitty, Kurt, we didn't find a trace. Chances are she's dead." A lump formed in Kurt's throat, he was fighting tears. Logan continued in his gruff voice, "You can join us, the X Defenders, or go on your way, whichever you choose."  
  
"But it would be better for you to stay." Jean broke in, "We're sorry about Kitty and wish we could've stopped her death."  
  
"Yeah, just like we wish we could've stopped all the other deaths," Tabby said, "But it's too late now, the only thing to do is to move on and do our best."  
  
"Tabithas right." Logan said, "Do your grieving but don't be too long about it. We're in a three way war here, against the Mutanthood and the government. We're still fighting for peace between mutants and humanity, even though Xavier is dead, his philosophy still lives on."  
  
Kurt went to bed that night and let all his misery, loss, bitterness, and grief come out of him in liquid form. The tears matted the fur on his cheeks and soaked his pillow, as he cried himself to sleep. 


	5. Planning for the Past ~ Shadow Forces

Once again, thanks so much to all you reviewers! Sorry this chapter took so long, I rewrote it a couple of times and still I'm not very happy with it  
  
  
  
When he awoke, Kurt washed the salty tear residue from his face. It was time to let go, move on. He couldn't do anything about Kitty's death, but he was determined to fight for what was right, the lives still living, and all the values he had adopted 10 years ago. The past, yesterday, so long ago, so close, all at once.  
  
After breakfast, Storm called a very important meeting. When everyone was there, she stood up and addressed the assembly, "I know someone who might be able to help us. Her name is 'Hourglass' and she has the ability to move people and objects through time."  
  
"Well why the hell haven't you told us about her before!?" Logan broke in.  
  
" Because, she's old and not powerful enough to move people through time long enough for them to do anything significant. But perhaps since Kurt belongs ten years into the past, when she puts him there he will stay. If she can send Kurt back and he knows how to prevent all this, he can shift the entire future and make sure none of this horrible present never even happens."  
  
The assembly was silent at this new idea. Logan finally broke the ice, "It's a crazy idea. It could just work." Everyone started talking at once, everyone was exited about this plan. Logan shouted, "QUIET!" and everyone immediately shut up. Logan continued, "It might work but it won't be a piece of cake pulling it off. For one we need this Hourglass lady to cooperate, and secondly we need to find out exactly what went wrong and how Kurt can fix it. Storm, Boom Boom,, Kurt, and I will go and talk to Hourglass. Hank, Jean, Spyke and Bobby, you get to stay here and try to figure out what Kurt should do when he gets back into his own time."  
  
* Later at the Mansion. Storm Tabitha, Kurt, Bobby, and Logan have already left*  
  
Spyke complained, "Great greeeat, just find out how to alter the entire present, no problem boss! Its not like we're not omniscient or anything! Jeez!"  
  
Jean sighed, "Calm down, I'm sure we'll find a way to get the information we need, we already know some of it ourselves."  
  
"We remember some, yes, but it all happened so quickly, and all records were destroyed. We still don't know the heart of the problem, how it started, or how those in the past could stop it. " Hank pointed out.  
  
"Yes, but someone does." Jean mused, thinking hard. Finally she said what was on her mind, "Deadshot. He used to be a freelance assassin before he joined Cyclops, so he would at least know something about inside controversies. He's always watching and evaluating everything, nothing happens too fast for him, and he sees into the core of things, reads between the lines, sees past the obvious; I would know I've been inside his mind. Also he's a cold analyzer, he never clutters his mind with superstition, bias, or emotion, and he doesn't forget."  
  
"He also doesn't miss!" Spyke broke in, horrified by this idea, "He'll shoot us on sight!"  
  
"Not unless Cyclops ordered him to."  
  
"Which Cyclops probably did!"  
  
"No, Cyclops would want to capture us first, have a little fun with us, THEN kill us."  
  
"He could have been ordered to shoot us in the feet or something like that. And besides, why would he tell us anything anyway?"  
  
"Why shouldn't he? He holds no love for his master, only duty. Besides we can bribe him or make him tell."  
  
"Yeah Right. Two problems: One we don't have anything to bri-"  
  
"Enough." Hank interrupted, "It's a dangerous plan. For now lets stick to looking over news articles and data banks."  
  
  
  
Kitty and Lance stared at each other for a few moments, then Kitty sprung forward and locked him into a crushing embrace.  
  
"Lance oh Lance you're alive! I'm so glad! I…I" Kitty broke down crying, a mix of emotions swirling through her head.  
  
"Kitty? It really is you! What happened? You look the same! Where did you go? Why do you look so young? Could you please loosen up a bit I can't breath." Lance gasped.  
  
"Oh sorry!" She smiled through her tears and released him.  
  
"What's going on here mon ami?" a handsome man with red and black eyes leaned in the doorway. Behind and to the side of him stood a young lady with faerie style black hair, dark gothic attire, and sharp blue eyes.  
  
"This is Kitty" Lance explained, "Somehow she seems to have come back from the past!"  
  
He hadn't meant it literally.  
  
Suddenly Kitty remembered what the fall, and seeing Lance again had made her temporarily forget. She blurted, "Kurt! Kurt's here too! And there were these men and they caught him in a net and he could be hurt!" Her eyes widened with fear and worry for her friend, she began to get frantic.  
  
"Calm down chere and tell us where." Gambit said smoothly.  
  
"Up there, on the cliff top, oh I do hope he got away!" Kitty spluttered.  
  
"Don't worry Kitty. Toad, Hydra, Gambit, go try to find him." Lance ordered his team, he was clearly the leader of this group. He placed a comforting hand on Kitty's shoulder and she hugged him, hoping that Kurt was alright.  
  
By the time Gambit, Toad, and Hydra had returned, Kitty had told her whole story to Lance, and Lance had explained that he had formed a group of supposedly dead people called the Shadow Force, who were laying low and keeping their existence unknown. He explained that the Shadow Force didn't want a part in this war between the government, New Mutanthood, and X Defenders. They would do small time things and work under cover until they saw an opportunity where they could act and truly make a difference. Shadow Force wanted peace, but they would not deceive themselves into thinking that humans would just accept them. There were sort of a gray factor, the middle line, the neutral.  
  
When the other three Shadow Force members entered, Kitty looked up quizzically, hopefully, but their faces were grim.  
  
"No one there, just some footprints and tire tracks." Toad said solemnly.  
  
"He could be anywhere. Imprissoned, enssaved, dead. §orrow comess to the young one." Hydra spoke for the first time. She had a soft smooth hissing voice like the wind blowing through a slot canyon. Kitty's heart sunk, and she turned and buried her face in Lance's chest, where she proceeded to cry. 


	6. Pancakes, Coffee, and Hourglass

Ok I won't answer to my reviews to every chapter cause I'm lazy (hence the long wait in between chapters, sorry!) but this time I just felt the urge.  
  
Todd Fan: I completely agree with you! And besides, Ray Park is soooo hott!  
  
Descendant: Yeah the Lance man Rocks! (no pun intended) Thank you thank you!  
  
Sephron: thanks for being my first reviewer!  
  
Inter Nutter: Sorry I don't know what 'ships that pass in the night' is, but thanks!  
  
The Scribe: thanks for you suggestions! The problem is I don't really know how to do Bobby or Alex. Ill do Bobby my best  
  
Sprocket: Sorry its not ASAP, but Im trying my best to be a good dedicated writer, too bad I'm the Queen of Unfinished Projects.  
  
Monitor: thankies! And DON'T sing that song, for some reason it gets on my nerves.  
  
Mucha Gracias to everyone!  
  
Anyway, on with the fanfic!  
  
  
  
The next morning, Kitty slowly woke up. For a second she forgot where she was, and wondered why no one had woken her up for a danger room session, then it all came rushing back. She blinked back her tears, and tried to swallow the acheing lump in her throat.  
  
"Good morning mon ami." Gambit greeted her as she came into the kitchen/dining room, where the others were eating breakfast.  
  
"How are you feeling Kitty?" Lance asked, concerned.  
  
"She's been zapped into the future by a wacko Coke machine only to find that the whole world has been turned upside down an' inside out and then the only other person who came with her got taken by the police and is who knows where. How do you think she feels?!" Toad commented.  
  
"It doesn't hurt to ask!" Lance snapped  
  
"Pancakes?" Remy offered, indicating an empty seat at the small table.  
  
Kitty sat down and started eating her delicious pancakes while Lance and Toad bickered and Remy made more pancakes. Lance and Toad's minute fight suddenly ended when a very grumpy, very tired, scowling Hydra entered the room. She wore an expression that said "you bother me, you die". Lance quickly handed her a large cup of black coffee as she slumped down at the table.  
  
"Mon ami Hydra isn't a morning person." Remy said quietly to Kitty, Hydra hissed and went back to her coffee. Lance cleared his throat and said in his leader voice, " It's time to decide what to do next. Kitty you are more than welcome to stay here, and we all hope that you do-"  
  
"Especially him." Toad broke in, Lance gave him a stern look and continued.  
  
"but nobody is forcing you to stay. It's up to you."  
  
Kitty's answer was immediate, "Oh Lance I DO want to stay! But what if Kurt is still alive out there and needs our help? Like, what if we have a chance to save him?"  
  
"If the boy iss not dead by now, he iss either in good handss, which I doubt, or he hass escaped." Hydra said, her coffee already worn away her grumpyness. "Of course, we will keep our eyess open for him, but it iss no usse going out and trying to find him. Bessidess, we might be buissy going to ssee Optic, and trying to get you back to your time."  
  
"Hydra is right, Kitty, an…..er, what?" Lance said, "what's this about an Optic? I'm the leader here, don't I get to know the plans before they're decided?" The others looked inquiringly at Hydra also.  
  
"Well, itss jusst a suggesstion, but I know of a mutant who can ssee almosst anything. If sshe can ssee who and where the persson who built this machine iss.."  
  
"Then maybe we can find him or her and get them to make a new one and send Kitty back into the past, where she can tell everyone about the future and they can make sure none of this never happens! Brilliant!" Lance finished for her.  
  
Kitty thought to herself, "and maybe she can tell me where Kurt is."  
  
  
  
"So this is it?" said Logan. He, Storm, Tabitha, Kurt, and Bobby stood infront of a plain, two story white house with a nice garden that looked almost exactly like all the other houses on the street.  
  
"This should be where she lives." Storm answered, as she walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell. Movement was heard inside, then an old, dark skinned, wrinkled lady opened the door.  
  
"Ororo?" She said, squinting.  
  
"Yes, we need you help."  
  
  
  
Later, they all sat in the nicely furnished living room. Kurt was half engulfed in a huge cushy armchair, and was staring at nothing, Tabitha was trying not to act TOO bored, Bobby was craning his neck looking at all the fascinating antiques, Logan was trying to ignore the overwhelming funny, old people smell, and Storm was explaining their need to Hourglass. Hourglass listened attentively until Storm had completely finished, then she spoke.  
  
"I see you plan is a good one, but I will need two things before I can do what you ask me to."  
  
"Anything."  
  
"There is an old abandoned lab compound down in Texas. Down in the basement, in an old filing cabinet, there should be a disk in a black case with the numbers 642 on the cover, I will need that disk. But be careful, the lab had very tight security and they used rather…..hazardous security systems to protect whatever they were doing in there; some of the systems still might be operational."  
  
"What's on this disk that's so important?" Logan asked.  
  
"No questions. The second thing I need is a teenage girl called Capslock. (Don't worry the story is still about Kurt and Kitty.) She has the mutant ability to enhance and magnify other mutants abilities when she's around them, I'll need her to help me , otherwise I'm not strong enough."  
  
"What's the catch?" asked Tabby.  
  
"She was captured by Cyclops some time ago. When she refused to join his Mutanthood or enhance his powers…." She trailed off. "She's either imprisoned at his base or dead. We need her to carry out your plan."  
  
"Let us hope that she is alive." Storm said, "Thank you for your help Hourglass, we will do our best to get what you asked." 


	7. Seer: one who sees

Here I go again! Here goes nothing.  
  
1 Internutter: Thanks for the clarification! I gotta remember that…it's a good analogy. Oh and I like that movie! You've got Mail.  
  
Todd Fan: I'd rather take marital arts lessons from him than nibble on his ear, but whutevuh pokas your dots. Our RPG Yahoo group is kinda dying eh?  
  
Sprocket: Oh sorry I was calling MYSELF the Queen of Unfinished Projects. All you half drawn sketches and partially written stories bow down to me! Ahem, too many skittles  
  
….anyways, moving on.  
  
  
  
Lance stepped up to the intricately painted door in a backwater ally of the inner city and was about to knock when…  
  
"Come in." The mysterious voice beckoned from inside before his knuckles even made contact with the wood. He and his teammates exchanged glances before he opened the door and they all filed in. Directly behind the wood door was a sparkling bead door, the room behind the bead door looked like something straight out of a gypsy fortune teller's wagon. Heavy incense filled the air, candles burned everywhere, the room was warm, dimly lit, and lavishly furnished with rugs, tapestries, etc. In the center of the room, sitting cross legged on a low glass table, was a woman who looked to be in her late 40's. Her flowing black hair ran all the way down to the table, then fanned out around her. Her eyes were completely glowing blue. She turned her gaze towards the four-some (Remy stayed outside) and her eyes stopped glowing and normal blue pupils were left staring at them.  
  
"Optic," Hydra said, "We need to find someone." After they explained their situation, Optic thought for a few moments.  
  
"Was there any marking of any kind on the time transporter device?" She asked Kitty.  
  
"No…..wait….yes, there was a sort of 'W' with a lightning bolt through it on the front."  
  
"Aaaaaaah, I have seen that symbol before….somewhere. Set up that table over here, in front of me." She instructed Lance, who hesitated then did her bidding.  
  
"Lie down child." She said to Kitty. Kitty looked at Lance for reassurance, he nodded, so she layed down.  
  
"I am going to look into your memory, to see this symbol for myself. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt." Optic said as she leaned over Kitty, coming eye to eye with the other mutant. Her eyes glowed neon blue again. It didn't hurt, In fact Kitty didn't feel a thing. After a few minutes Optic sat up again, nodding and thinking to herself.  
  
"Um, like, can I get up now?" Kitty asked.  
  
"Yes." Was her answer. Kitty got up and stood next to Lance, the room was dead quiet except for the faint sound of a fight somewhere in a building above. Optic slowly turned her head, panning around the room, but she was not looking at the room or anything in it, she was searching across miles and miles and into fathomless other dimensions of insight which most were blind to. All for the sign.  
  
"I have seen it, I have found the sign." She finally spoke. "It is in cell number 27 of the New York Military Prison and Laboratory complex."  
  
"Shit." Said lance.  
  
"Laaanccce!" Hydra hissed  
  
"High security." Optic added.  
  
"Double shit." Toad said.  
  
"Toooad!" Hydra hissed.  
  
"Please refrain from using vulgar language. I'm not charging you anything yet." Optic said.  
  
"Sorry Ma'am." Both young men apologized at once.  
  
"That's better. Now I have already looked into the past to pinpoint the main things that went wrong. Of course, you do realize that conflict between humans and mutants is inevitable?"  
  
"Of course. Only Xavier's overly optimistic philosophy fails to acknowledge that" answered Lance.  
  
"Good. Where things mainly "went wrong" in the past was when Frank Chester was elected president. He and the vice president Riley Courtright were the main leaders of the governmental anti mutant campaign. They were the ones that changed the governmental system also. The other obvious thing is Professor Xavier's death. He was killed by military soldiers after files from Cerebro were stolen by a military agent. The files were used to learn more about mutants, our weaknesses, our strengths, and because of this knowledge the government was able to destroy the mansion, the professor, and nearly all hope of peace between humans and mutants." Optic said, finishing her favor.  
  
Lance nodded, "Thank you for all your help, we will gladly return the favor anyway we can."  
  
"That is not necessary. Go, carry out your plan, try your hardest, that is all the favor I ask."  
  
With that Lance, Toad, and Hydra turned and left, Kitty stayed behind.  
  
"More to ask, have you?" Optic asked.  
  
"Yeah, I was wondering where my friend is. He was like, captured by the police."  
  
"Well, there are many mutants in the world, what does he look like? Any distinguishing features?"  
  
"Well he has blue fur all over, and a tail, and three fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot and pointed ears and pale eyes and he can-"  
  
"Yes that's enough, thank you." she smiles ever so slightly. "I will watch for him."  
  
  
  
So how you like? I know its tedious and boring, but there will be more action later! I'm just setting up the plot, I promise!!!!! 


	8. Stench of Evil

Skip the formalities! Straight to the story!  
  
  
  
"Well that's it." Logan said, landing the copter near the run down buildings out in the middle of nowhere. The copter blades stirred up a mini dust devil before they stopped spinning. He, Kurt, Evan, and Jean pile out. Evan looked at the surrounding desolate dusty landscape and remarked, "Man, what a dust bowl!"  
  
"C'mon, we don't have time to waste. Stay alert." Logan ordered, as he approached the dilapidated door to the main building. After Logan transformed the door into a piece of shredded metal, the quarto headed inside the dark building.  
  
Aside from some laser trouble and a few flying razor blades, they had no trouble getting to the lowest floor, 5 stories below ground. Logan ripped open another shiny door, and the horrendous stench hit them all like a sack of bricks.  
  
"Vat da Hell?!" Kurt exclaimed, slapping his hands over his nose.  
  
"Kurt!" Jean scolded, holding her own nose.  
  
"What is that stench?!" Evan said, waving his hand infront of his face. Logan, with his enhanced senses, looked like he was trying very hard not to vomit. Jean brushed past him and went through the claw created entrance. The room was dark but felt very big, she groped around for a lightswitch, found one, and clicked it on. Only one overhead light turned on, It was very dim but it was enough.  
  
"Oh my god." Jean said, forgetting the smell.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Ok, here's the plan. Remy, Hydra, you go around front and cause a distraction." Lance and co were hiding right outside the base where Optic had said the time machine builder was being held. He pointed at the map they had hacked from the military data bases.  
  
"No problem boss." Remy gave a loose salute. Hydra just nodded.  
  
Lance continued, "Kitty will phase me and Toad through the fence. Us three will go through that door-" he pointed "-Toad you go in front and take care of anyone that might give us trouble."  
  
"Gotcha."  
  
"Ill go with Kitty, she'll phase through the cell, grab this guy, and we'll scram."  
  
"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Kitty approved.  
  
Lance smiled fondly at her, "Alright everyone, good luck"  
  
Remy and Hydra ran off while Kitty phased Lance through the high, barb wire ridden fence. Toad simply jumped over. He muttered something about being a decoy before taking a giant leap. Lance watched him arc through the air towards his carefully selected landing area. The guard at the door fell with an "OOF!" as Toad's weight crashed onto him, and was knocked unconscious instantly. Toad beckoned to them, and they ducked and zigzagged across the barren ground, avoiding the searchlights.  
  
Without a word, Kitty pulled them both through the metal door and Toad lept down the hall, taking out the guards in his way with a series of kicks, leaps, carefully aimed slimeballs, and impressive kickboxing moves. Several gunshots were heard but Lance seemed to be unconcerned, he checked the map to see if they were going the right direction as he and kitty sprinted down the hall, running past the fallen soldiers.  
  
"Lance watch out!" Kitty screamed, grabbing Lance's arm, phasing them through the swarm of bullets that were coming from the two men taking cover around a corner. A glob of green slime flew from above and blocked the barrel to one of the men's automatic weapons. The next time the guard tried to fire the gun it exploded in his face, knocking him backwards into a wall, his head making contact with a dull thud. The other man saw a long green thing wrapping around his gun and yanking it out of his hands, he saw the dark haired man and the girl run past, he saw a foot flying at his face from the ceiling, then everything went black.  
  
Lance and Kitty skidded around the corner to see a whole score of soldiers running down the hall towards them. Lance wasted no time in causing a sharp tremor under their feet which sent them all sprawling to the ground. Kitty phased them through the few bullets from the ones that managed to recover fast enough as she and Lance ran by.  
  
"two floors down!" Lance yelled to kitty over the noise. The guards watched as their targets sank through the floor. Two stories later, Lance landed hard on the metal ground. They were in a deserted hallway with heavy metal doors, each with a number above it.  
  
"Here it is! 27!"  
  
They screeched to a halt, and Kitty went to step through the door. The electric shock hit her, and she stumbled backwards into the startled Lance's arms. Her head spun and everything was starting to go all fuzzy.  
  
"Like, Ow!"  
  
"Kitty! Are you OK?" Lance's face was the only thing that seemed to be in focus.  
  
"Yeah….ill be fine" she managed a wobbly smile, "Just an electric shock."  
  
The clicking of guard's boots went past in a nearby hallway. Lance gently laid Kitty down on the ground, she tried to get up but fell back down.  
  
"No, stay there and recover, Ill take care of the door." He gave her a confident, reassuring smile. He stretched out his fingers at the door, and concentrated hard. The tremor was all concentrated just around the doorframe, so that it buckled and then shook out of place, causing the lock and any other security to snap.  
  
"Wow, you're like, really controlled!" Kitty remarked, holding her head.  
  
"Its been a while, and I've had lots of practice." He said as he yanked the door open, and cautiously ducked inside.  
  
"Lance be carefull!" Kitty stood up, she was already mostly recovered from her shock.  
  
Lance looked around inside the small metal cell with confusion, there was no person here, no body! All there was was a small black laptop, sitting obscurely in a corner. He grabbed the laptop and stepped back into the hall.  
  
"All there was was this!" He explained.  
  
"Maybe we got the wrong cell?"  
  
"Well even if we did we can't hang around here long enough to find out. It wont be very long before they figure out what's going on, and Hydra and Remy might be having trouble." He pushed a button on his watch, which all of the team had identical copies of on their own wrists, and said, "Mission abort, back to the base." 


	9. Insane

Thanks to those of you who review! You're what keeps this story running.  
  
Those of you who have weak stomachs, don't read this first part. I was in a really morbid mood when I wrote it.  
  
  
  
Jean stepped into the foul-aired dimly lit room, the last of the roaches and rats scurrying away from the light. It was a laboratory actually, an old abandoned laboratory. Evan, Kurt, and Logan came in after her, all shocked and disgusted at what they saw. There were tables with metal restraining devices attached, one had a skeleton strapped in, pieces of ragged cloth hanging from its bones. There were shiny surgical instruments on tables, some shining sharp others rusty with blood. There were computers, and other unrecognizable machines that did who knows what. Along one wall was row of big jars with unspeakably horrible things floating in them. On one side of the lab, shrouded in shadow, was a row of metal holding cages. Through the bars could be seen glimpses of white bones or decomposing flesh: the remains of the poor souls who were held here. The whole place smelled of putrid rot, death, and decay. There was a small door on the other side of the scientific torture chamber.  
  
Logan set his jaw and walked towards the door, determined not to let the repulsive scenery stop him from his mission. Kurt walked beside him, trying not to look at the upsetting sights, but he couldn't help it; he looked over at one of the jars. Staring back at him were the dead eyes of a three-year-old girl. Her haunted face was framed by her white hair floating ghostly in the liquid, and the white wings sprouting from her back made her look like an angel. A dead angel. Kurt couldn't take it anymore, he bent over and emptied the contents of his stomach.  
  
Evan was walking near the row of cages, fighting curiosity to look into them, even though darkness hid most of their contents. Something crunched and snapped beneath his foot, reluctantly he looked down. He had stepped on a skeleton hand, clawing through the bars. He jumped aside, fighting the urge to do exactly what Kurt had done. In the corner of one of the cages, Evan thought he saw something white move. Overcome with horrified interest, he peered into the darkness of the cage. Yes! He definitely saw it this time, something in there moved! He gulped and was about to call to Jean when a cackling maniacal laughter suddenly split the silence, ringing off the walls of the lab. Evan nearly wet himself, Logan jumped 3 feet into the air and popped his claws, Kurt jumped onto Jean's head, and Jean screamed.  
  
Evan got a hold on himself and popped some spikes out of his arms, facing the bobbing white thing in the cell, from which the demonic laughter was coming from. Logan was rushing over. Spyke forced his voice not to shake as he said, "Who's there?"  
  
"Hahahahahahahahahe asks who's here? Who's here not me, or we? Where is here here could be anywhere and anywhere is everywhere and I am here so am I everywhere? Oooooohhhhh" came the reply  
  
"He's insane." Logan said.  
  
"Hehehehehehehe gumtree la da doodle de! Hehee tree? Green and swishy backed by blue, blue like the sea which is swishy too! Birds swim fish sing and bluebells ring! I remember all so clearly, clear as crystal stones! Thedaysinthesunwhenpeoplelaughedandrabbitsrun! HahahahahahahahaAAAAAAAAIIEEEE!!!!!" The man's laugh turned into a bloodcurdling scream.  
  
Evan said, "Stark raving mad!"  
  
Jean dug into some pocket somewhere and produced a flashlight, shining it into the cage. His hair was white and whispy, his eyes were hollow and sunken, his skin was pale and tight, and his form was skeletal and emaciated. He was shackled to the wall, and one of his hands was twisted and deformed, either from experimentation or trying to get out of the shackles. He hung his head over his chest but when he looked up they all gasped. Even though his face was starved and angst-ridden, and his eyes had an insane glint, they still could recognize him.  
  
"Pietro!" Jean gasped. Logan ripped through the bars, his claws screeching against the metal, this caused Pietro to shriek again.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAA THE WIRE! The wire is there and the nets are coming and the walls are bleeding! No, NO!" He started thrashing around violently, Evan and Jean rushed into the cage, and Pietro shrunk away.  
  
"NO! Stay away! Nomore No More! Please stop STAY AWAY NO MORE! Oooooohhhhhhh……"  
  
Jean stepped forward, using as soothing as a voice she could manage, "Pietro calm down, don't you remember us? We're not going to hurt you, we want to help" Pietro pointed a bony shaking finger at them,  
  
"Hahahahaha! That's a funny joke! But I heard it before yes, I have. thatswhattheyallsaid! Yes they, they're still here you know yes yes still here just waiting you better watch out they'll get you too!"  
  
"You two deal with this, Kurt and I'll find the disk." Logan interrupted, he and Kurt went into the back room.  
  
"Hehehehe look there's Logie Loogie Loogin Logan! I must be dreaming, I wish I would have a nice dream."  
  
Evan gave it a try, "Hey Pietro remember me?" Pietro stared at him blankly. Evan continued, "Remember? Bone head? Loserboy? The X geek, remember?  
  
"Keep talking Evan." Jean instructed, putting her fingers to her temple, concentrating. She went into Pietro's mind, and the swirl of tormented images, jumbled emotions, and scrambled thoughts was enough to make her take a step backwards. It took all her teleptic skill to sort some of Pietro's thoughts back into place, to sort out delerium from truth. With the help of Evan's talk and Jean's telepathic abilities, Pietro snapped back into reality. He blinked twice and his eyes came into focus. He looked unbelieving at Evan and Jean for a second then whispered, "Evan? Jean? Is it really you?"  
  
Evan smiled as Jean telekinetically snapped Pietro's bonds, "Yup speedy, looks like you need me to get you out of trouble again."  
  
Logan and Kurt walked up, Kurt holding the black disk case.  
  
"Is he sane?" Logan asked.  
  
"For now." Jean answered. Pietro attempted to stand up but utterly failed, so Evan picked him up.  
  
"Watch it spike brain, you're messing up my hair." Pietro said weakly, managing a thin smile.  
  
"Yup he's back to normal, lets go." 


	10. Computer Nerd

Same old.  
  
  
  
Kitty padded down the stone steps from her room into the Shadow Force living room. It was several hours after they had gotten back from the failed rescue, and the rest were asleep. But Kitty couldn't sleep, she kept thinking about Kurt, the laptop, and what had happened after Lance called a retreat. She remembered phasing through everything with Lance and the laptop, until they reached the car that was hidden outside...  
  
*flashback *  
  
"Quick!" Lance yelled as they ran towards the hidden car, gunshots rang behind them but they were almost there. The car was quiet, no one else was there yet. Lance leapt into the front seat, Kitty got into the passenger side.  
  
"Where's Toad?" Lance asked to no one in particular, craning his neck around to look at the military prison while turning on the car. Kitty pushed a button on her comlink watch, "Come in Toad, where are you?"  
  
"Toad here, I'm comin', roll down the back window."  
  
"Why?" Kitty asked, pushing the button that would roll down the back window. Toad's feet swung through the window, followed by the rest of him. He landed neatly on the seat.  
  
"You ok? Any injuries?" Lance asked Toad.  
  
"Oh a couple close calls," Toad said, holding up his hand and spreading his fingers, revealing a bullet sized hole in one of his webs, "But nothing too serious."  
  
"That's good." Lance hit the gas and the wheels squealed beneath them as the car shot out of its hiding place towards the front of the building.  
  
"Where are we going?!" Kitty was forced to shout over the noise of the roaring engine, crunching bushes they were razing through, and pursuing gunshots. "What about like, Gambit and Hydra?"  
  
"We're going to give them a pickup, buckle your seatbelts, we're gonna rock!" Lance replied as he swerved around a metal pole. Toad and Kitty hurriedly put their seatbelts on right before Lance sent a tremor through the ground to knock an obstructing military car out of the way and screamed around a corner, through the destroyed gates, and past the unmoving guards on two wheels.  
  
"After all these years, Rockhead still uses those lousy rock puns!" Toad said, looking a little greener than usual.  
  
"Be quiet and show some respect for your leader, Frogger; besides, I like my rock puns!"  
  
Kitty giggled, despite the fact that she felt her stomach had just flown through the roof. Things had changed dramatically in ten years, but Lance was still handsome and adorable, at least she thought so. The car screeched to a halt, just as Gambit and Hydra ran out of the building. Gambit was flinging cards behind him, leaving a wake of destruction. With every brilliant explosion of each card a guard fell. Gambit didn't aim to kill, but he made sure his blows were devastating enough so the fallen wouldn't be a threat to them. Hydra was a different sight completely. Her pointer and middle finger and her thumb had elongated and grown long curving claws, which flashed with lethal sharpness. Kitty couldn't see this but her pupils had changed into harsh slits, and her tongue had become black and forked, like a serpent's. As she ran she looked behind her and breathed. Her breath came out thick, almost like mist but not, almost seeable but not, and hung in the air like wisps of semi-visible silk. When the running guards hit her clouds of breath they fell to the floor choking and gasping, and soon lay still.  
  
"Are they..?" Kitty asked.  
  
"Hydra has two types of poison breath: one lethal, one temporarily paralyzing. She doesn't have very good control over it though, so who can say?" Toad answered.  
  
"Well I'm sure _they_ can tell." Lance said grimly.  
  
Gambit and Hydra reached the car. Gambit threw the extra charged card he was holding, and Hydra pulled a special cloth over her mouth, so she wouldn't poison her own team. The drive home was a silent one, except for when Lance explained how they had broken in the cell, only to find a laptop: an old fashioned one at that! It took a while before Hydra was able to calm down enough so her transformation would go away, and she turned back to normal breath and all. When they had reached the secret garage to the cave, everyone else had tended their minor injuries and went to bed, being too exhausted and disappointed to investigate the laptop for tomorrow..  
  
So that's how Kitty ended up sitting by herself in the middle of the night in front of a loading laptop screen in the living room of a secret underground cave base.  
  
"Wow, there's still plenty of battery charge!" She thought to herself. The screen lit up, the desktop had a boring gray background and only one icon: a W with a lightning bolt through it. Kitty's heart skipped a beat with excitement as she moved the mouse and double clicked on the icon.  
  
"Password please." Said the screen.  
  
"Drat!" she said quietly. There was no way she was going to guess the password! She was just going to have to hack it. After hours and hours of tedious computer hacking work (Which I have the grand total of 0 clue about) she finally, triumphantly, hacked into the file.  
  
Immediately the computer started to shake violently and emit electric bolts from nowhere. Kitty phased through the couch she was sitting on and peeked up over its back. The computer was jumping around on the table making crackling sounds as waves of energy and light ran around inside it like some hyperactive poltergeist. The whole frame of the computer lit up and white light spilled through the cracks, throwing sharp dancing shadows around the room, much like a constantly moving strobe light would.  
  
Lance was the first to start sprinting downstairs, he took the stairs 3 at a time. Toad was the first to reach the downstairs, he had taken the stairs 15 at a time (which was the whole staircase). At the bottom Lance and Toad narrowly avoided a collision before they both dived behind the couch where Kitty was. Gambit and Hydra weren't far behind.  
  
"What did you." Lance began but suddenly the computer stopped. It sat there still and quiet like it had never moved at all. Its stillness was short lived; a huge white bolt suddenly shot out of the screen and onto the floor. The energy detached from the computer and stood there independently. The energy concentrated, lost its glow, and took a flesh and blood form. There stood a man in a white lab coat, glasses, and what would be described as a very nerdy appearance.  
  
"Hello" he said in a nasal voice before fainting to the floor. 


	11. Disobediance and Bravado

Well, I didn't really know how to do this next chapter, but I finally got it sort of worked out, which may or may not be a good thing, your decision.  
  
  
  
Tabitha peered through the opening in the bushes where she and Bobby were hiding.  
  
"This is NOT a good idea." She said  
  
"Yeah, Logan will be furious." Bobby agreed.  
  
"It's so dangerous."  
  
"We could get killed."  
  
"But if our plan works..then we won't be the ones staying at home all the time."  
  
"We'll show them how valuable we are."  
  
"But there's a good chance it won't work."  
  
"Should we do it?"  
  
"Yeah." They both said. They were not supposed to be here, hiding in the bushes behind the New Mutanthood base. They had been given orders to stay at the mansion, and they were deliberately breaking those orders. But the thought of rescuing Capslock and proving their worth to the team outweighed the knowledge of the consequences if their plan failed. There was a rustling in the bushes behind them and a quiet thud. Both disobedient mutants whirled around, Tabby with an energy bomb and Bobby icing up. It was Hank.  
  
"What in bloody blazes are you doing here?!" Hank hissed, quietly though.  
  
"Rescuing Capslock what else? And since you're here you can help us." Tabby replied, dissipating her bomb.  
  
"Yeah, you can sneak in while we distract Deadshot and get him to tell us what went so wrong in the past to make this future." Bobby added  
  
"He comes around every 10 minutes, he's on patrol." Tabby explained.  
  
"Wait wait wait. I never said I was helping! For one thing, we are NOT supposed to be here. For another, we don't even know which cell is Capslock's or where it is or what other defenses they have in there! What you two are doing is very foolish." Hank said.  
  
"That's why we'll get Deadshot to tell us."  
  
"tell you what?"  
  
"Where Capslock is!"  
  
"Why would he tell you anything?"  
  
"Just a hunch? Besides, we can always threaten him, we've got it under control."  
  
"I don't think so. I'm shocked and surprised you two would do anything so utterly irrational. You are grown adults, but you are acting like children! We are all going back to the mansion right now!" Hank said, raising his voice a bit.  
  
"To late." The cold, hard, and completely emotionless voice cut through their whispered conversation. They all turned their heads to see Deadshot's sniper rifle barrel aimed precisely at the center of Bobby's forehead. Deadshot's hard eyes stared calculatingly at them.  
  
Tabitha broke the tense silence, "Deadshot, we need your help."  
  
"My help?"  
  
"Yes, we need to know some things, will you tell us?"  
  
"Depends."  
  
"Where is the mutant Capslock's cell?"  
  
"Cell number 54, bottom level."  
  
"And what critical things happened in the past to make things.how they are today? Like the government and Cyclops changing and all."  
  
"If I understand your question sufficiently, three main things happened. I will briefly summarize them for you. Frank Chester and his associate Riley Courtright gained power, files from Cerebro were stolen, part of the result was Professor Charles X. Xavier was killed."  
  
"Ok, Thanks!" Tabitha managed a bright smile.  
  
"Woa woa woa!!!! Hold on here, why are you telling us all of this?" Bobby asked, surprised that he had actually told them something.  
  
"It is not against my orders to do so."  
  
"But..we're your enemy!" Bobby pointed out.  
  
"I hold no personal feelings of anger or enmity towards you. Neither do I hold personal feelings of devotion or agreement to Cyclops or his cause." This was true, Deadshot held very few personal feelings of any kind at all.  
  
"Well then, why do you serve him?"  
  
"I took an oath."  
  
"Well which team would you rather be on?"  
  
"Neither, I prefer to be an independent operator."  
  
"Well then why did you take an oath?" Tabitha's turn to talk.  
  
"He forced me. He tricked me. Don't bother to ask how." (that's not part of this story, probably because I have no idea how.)  
  
"Well why don't you just break the stupid oath then?!"  
  
"I have killed, stole, deceived, cheated, and exploited every weakness I could find in my enemies." there was a hint of regret in his otherwise completely controlled voice; a hint that only brushed the surface of his fierce self-hatred that lurked in the dark confines of his blackened heart. The same extreme guilt, remorse, and loathing he held for his own twisted soul that he numbed himself to it by cutting off all emotion. This way, his reason based mind reasoned, was the only way to save himself, from himself, and to save other people as well. When he killed, he did not enjoy it, so only killed when necessary. "But I have never broken an oath, or a promise. That is the only shred of moral fiber I have left, the only clean, untainted thing left in my heart. That and the basic primal will to survive are the only things that drive me on. If I break my oath I break myself, and I do not want to die. I do not expect you to understand, but that is why I will never break my oath. I am bound to Cyclops's order until he releases me or dies."  
  
"Oh, well then, what-"  
  
Then several things happened at once: Deadshot noticed Hank was missing just as Hank leapt through the air from a tree, landing right in front of the door behind Deadshot. Bobby iced up and shot an ice wall between Hank and Deadshot just in time to stop the lethally aimed bullets from hitting their mark. Tabitha ducked and rolled and lunged forward, sprinting behind the ice wall to stand beside Hank.  
  
The bullets shattered through the ice but by the time they reached the other side they were going too slow to be harmful. Iceman renewed his ice wall before Deashot could shoot through the holes his previous bullets had made. Iceman sent a freezing blast of ice at Deadshot, in response, Deadshot blinked out of visibility. There was a mini explosion as Tabitha blasted the lock off the door and she and Hank disappeared inside.  
  
"Shit! " Iceman thought, "now he's invisible!" He created a semicircular wall all around the door so Deadshot couldn't follow his teammates inside the building. Iceman made a huge sweeping blast of ice, hoping to hit the sniper by chance. No such chance.  
  
Deadshot rolled invisibly on the ground he didn't even have a shadow. He would focus on this enemy and worry about the others later. He rolled up into a kneeling position and snapped off a shot at Iceman. A blast of ice intercepted the bullet and it shattered when it made contact with Iceman's icy armor. This could be difficult, even for Deadshot.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Storm was driving back from Hourglass's house with Hourglass. She had gone to check on the older woman, and Hourglass decided she wanted to come and stay at the mansion so she could be there when Capslock was rescued.  
  
When storm pulled into the garage she was surprised to see that two other vehicles were gone. She contained her curiosity and politely helped Hourglass out of the car and into the main hall. Storm called for the others to come down and greet their guest, nobody answered. Then Storm knew, she didn't know exactly how she knew, she just did.  
  
"What is it dear?" Hourglass asked, her wrinkled face becoming more wrinkled with concern.  
  
"They've gone to rescue Capslock." 


End file.
